Experimentation means trying something new and unproven – and acknowledging
that you cannot reliably predict the outcome.

Experimentation: The Key to
Discovery

Discovering what works requires that you
understand the casual links between inputs and outputs. When it comes to
searching for cause-effect relationships, perhaps the most suitable model
that emerges is the method of experimentation that allows the most efficient
scientific progress, the scientific method as a model for
discovery.1

Tom Peters talks about going for “ready, fire,
aim” as a better approach than “ready, aim, fire.” Don't take too long
procrastinating rather than just getting on with it and treating
failures as learning
opportunities. Without action, you cannot know whether or not what you
are thinking about will actually work.

Sounding smart should not substitute for doing
something smart. Actions count more than elegant concepts and plans. Create
an inspiring corporate culture
of “fire” rather than “aim” to send out strong messages about the value of
action rather than talk and instill confidence in your people.5

"To encourage people to innovate more, you have to make it
safe for them to fail,"
writes
Michael Dell8, the Founder of
Dell Inc. "If a team experiments with something and says "These are the
facts. This doesn't work and here's why," that's not failure. That's a
learning experience and, typically, an important milestone on the road to
achieving success."

"Our business is by definition full of
innovation and experimentation because so many things that we try
haven't ever been done before. We're facing new challenges and can't look to
history because it's not relevant... We're often faced with problems that we
know represent an opportunity and it's up to us to create an entire business
out of it. That's
the
fun staff. But we also know that if we don't do it, someone else will.
We're forced to innovate to stay ahead of the competition. And when you're
dealing in an industry that's changing so dynamically, there are often more
unknowns than knowns."

"You also need to embrace an experimental attitude in
making decisions. Sometime you can't
wait for all the data to present themselves before making a decision. You
have to make the best decision you possibly can based on your experience,
intuition, available data, and assessment of
risk. There's a guaranteed element of risk in any business, so experiment –
but experiment wisely."